A Palestinian-American teenager who spent nine months in Israeli custody without charge has been released.
Mohammed Ibrahim was 15 when he was arrested in February in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where he was on vacation from Florida, for allegedly throwing rocks at Jewish residents, something he had previously denied.
The US State Department said it welcomed the news of Mohammed’s release.
The BBC has contacted Israeli authorities but has not received a response.
Relatives told media that Mohammed, now 16, was taken to hospital for treatment soon after his release. They said he was pale, underweight and suffering from conditions in captivity.
In a statement, Mohammed’s uncle spoke of “immense relief” for the family. Zeyad Kadur said the family has been “living a terrible and endless nightmare” for the past nine months.
“Right now, our focus is on getting Mohammed immediate medical attention after months of Israeli abuse and inhumane conditions. All we want is for Mohammed to recover and get his childhood back,” he said.
“Israeli soldiers had no right to take Mohammed from us,” he said.
The State Department said it would continue to provide consular assistance to Mohammed’s family. “The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety of American citizens,” it said.
Earlier this week Mohammed’s father, Zahar Ibrahim, told the BBC he was disappointed the US government was not doing more to get his son out of jail.
Twenty-seven US lawmakers had signed a letter to the State Department and President Donald Trump, calling for more to be done to release him.
Mr Ibrahim, a father of four who runs an ice cream business in Florida, had earlier said his son confessed to throwing stones only because soldiers had beaten him.
She had not seen or spoken to Mohammed since February, and had only heard through court documents about what happened to him in custody.
Mohammed was held without charge in Ofer prison in the West Bank. It is also home to adult prisoners, some of whom have been convicted of serious terrorism crimes and murder.
According to the Israeli Prison Service, there are approximately 350 Palestinian child protection detainees held in Israeli prisons.
Many have never been charged and human rights groups, as well as the United Nations, say some have suffered ill-treatment and torture.
Following Mohammed’s release, Mr Kadour said the family would also continue to fight for justice for his cousin Saifullah Muslet, a 20-year-old dual US citizen who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was beaten to death by Israeli settlers during a confrontation in July.
At the time, the Israeli military said officers were looking into reports that a Palestinian civilian had been killed.
Mohammed and Saifullah worked together in the family ice cream shop in Tampa, Florida. No one has been charged for Saifullah’s murder.
“We expect the U.S. government to protect our families,” Mr. Kadur said.
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